Weekly Report: Week of 01/10/22

Per the terms of my employment and at the request of the head coach, I am required to generate a weekly report regarding the state of the program as a whole. This is my unedited and unqualified analysis of the University of Pittsburgh’s football program. If you are not interested in my recap of the 2021 season read first paragraph and then scroll to third, thx.

At the end of the night on December 10th, the Pitt Panthers had more questions than answers after a season concluding win. With the ensuing bowl season in the balance due to the ever-present battle with Covid, the team’s flagship radio station losing two of its key components in Pitt football coverage, and what would assuredly be an off-season full of departures, the program lacked definitive direction. Fast forward to August, Pitt’s starting quarterback Kenny Pickett would be entering his fifth fall camp, Noon On Saturday was reborn, and a team with unnoticed potential was beginning to take shape. I will take a quick break in this story to reference the first and up until this point, only, Weekly Report of the fall. The report filled with unabashed optimism had called for what seemed like a highly unlikely and almost certain consecutive year of misplaced optimism in the Pitt football program, and most importantly a conclusion worth noting, “Strap in folks, this is the year”. Let’s resume, shall we?

In what could only be described as a quintessential Pitt football September, the Panthers would go into a historical SEC venue in Neyland Stadium to defeat an unexpectedly potent Tennessee football team and then, just a week later, lose to the Western Michigan Broncos from the MAC in a shoot out. Head Coach Pat Narduzzi’s seat already warmed with the friction of missed opportunities of years past had now been heated to an uncomfortable temperature with the likelihood that the football team would again perform under the mediocre standard that had befallen on them. Just to make note, I found this loss to be the catalyst of the season and do not for one second lament the outcome on that day, no matter the value of winning that game. A victory came easily against a FCS opponent that probably was the victim of the frustration of the previous loss which set the stage for what would be an unbelievable final 2/3rds of the season. The win against New Hampshire did little to quell the displeasure of the Pitt faithful but Pat Narduzzi had the opportunity to do so himself with what would be arguably the most important October of his head coaching career. Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Clemson and Miami in order were the opponents to begin ACC play. Optimistic Pitt fans at the time were wishing to beat Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech(both away) and hoping to beat Miami. The first two games featured dominating away victories, setting the stage for a down but still formidable Clemson team to travel up to Heinz field. Not only did Dabo Swinney and the tigers travel up to Heinz field but so did the dormant Pitt fan base that had long awaited a nationally relevant matchup including the Panthers that wasn’t versus a non-conference rival. This game was huge and would be the determining factor as to whether an explosive Pitt offense was legitimate and would also reveal if Pitt were to be conference contenders. Pitt won by double digits at home. Thus began the era of Pitt being considered as contenders for the College Football Playoff. Interviews dominated the week. Attention was being paid to this Pitt team on a scale that was much greater than the typical upset of which Pitt had become accustomed too. After a week full off playoff hype, Pitt would fall to Miami at home after Miami’s true freshman quarterback would torch Pitt’s secondary in the first half and hold till the finish to give the Panthers their second loss of the campaign. The questions of Narduzzi’s head coaching caliber would rise again as Pitt was in jeopardy of losing the opportunity to clinch the coastal. November shaped up to be the most influential month of the season and given Pitt’s performances of Novembers past, there was a legitimate cause for concern. A slow start against Duke made doubts grow considerable heading into a short week when UNC would come to Heinz Field on a Thursday night to, yet again, test the validity of Pitt’s team. The team would start lighting fast against North Carolina and have to fight all the way into overtime for a win, which would come as a monsoon poured and Pitt would pick off North Carolina’s Sam Howell to seal the game. At the conclusion of that weekend, Pitt would remain atop the Coastal with one loss but could not afford to lose against its next opponent, the Virginia Cavaliers, without losing its top spot. In this game Pitt’s offense would torch UVA’s defense in shootout, ending when Biletnikoff winning Wide Receiver Jordan Addison fought off a Virginia defensive back to seal the game and the coastal for the Panthers(worth noting Notre Dame had recruited Biletnikoff winning, true sophomore Jordan Addison to be a defensive back). With the coastal clinched and Pitt’s position in the ACC championship solidified, Pitt had only history to play for when it met Syracuse on the last game of the regular season and history they achieved. With the win against Syracuse, Pitt became the first team since 1982 to win ten games in the regular season. Wake Forest was the last team to stand in the way of Pitt’s first outright conference win in the program’s storied history. Two offensively oriented teams would meet to decide the ACC champion. Wake Forest would score 21 points in the first quarter and play true to its strength initially but would not score again as defense became the focal point of this game. Pitt would pick off Sam Hartman 4 times in the game to solidify Pitt as ACC champions.

In the spirit of We Not Me, the Panther’s 2021 slogan, I had left out that Kenny Pickett would have the best single season a Pitt quarterback has ever had after the press wouldn’t mention his name with the best in the conference let alone the nation. I had refrained from mentioning that Pitt’s defensive line for the third consecutive year would finish top 5 in sacks after losing two All American defensive ends to the NFL, and it is worth pointing out that most believed the losses on defense to be too much for the team to be successful. Losing All-ACC center and All-ACC guard Bryce Hargrove to the draft would be no issue for an offensive line that lacked production in previous years but had performed high above the standard set upon them in the preseason. The unanswered questions, the highlights of the season, the success that Pitt had this season points back to one, undisputed, irreputable fact. The preseason call made by yours truly was remarkably accurate. Those who are close to me grew tiresome of the calls for a 10 win season and the unwavering support of Head Coach Pat Narduzzi. Is this season anymore proof that your deaf ears and patronizing faces should be ashamed of the ignorance it bestowed? What’s more entertaining is the seemingly organized effort to find holes in this imperfect but notably successful season. Desperate attempts to claim the Peach Bowl as the most important game of the year and critical definitions of a team’s captain and how the Heisman finalist does not fit them. Rest assured, those within the program are thankful for the opportunity to represent the ACC and are only thankful for the quarterback who put them in this position. Are the fans of different teams who have so passionately detested the perspective of Pitt fans and players alike afraid of the potential of a rising program? Are they uneasy that it might be harder to pick on the Panthers in the future? It is unclear and I will also say Pitt’s potential is as equally unsure. What I am sure of is the effort and time put into this agenda can’t be worth throwing stones at the champion of a seemingly irrelevant conference. It amazes me how quick empathy is lost when those who were once in very similar positions(Think Jimmy Clausen and Matt McGloin) reach stable success. Where does the truth lie in an argument of relevancy? It only confuses me that “superior programs and conferences” would spend such time building an argument against a program and a conference that is so often deemed as lowly. This is where my expertise expires and I can only guess, which is not my job. As a Grad Assistant, I am to learn and to report. Understand, my goal is only to inform and not to mislead. I come to you as a student-teacher and not a salesman. This is evident in my accurate prediction for this team. In parting, I want to thank the avid readers of the site and the consistent listeners of the Noon On Saturday podcast especially those who understood the vision of an ACC championship. Hail to Kenny, Hail to Pitt, and Hail to the Grad Assistant.